Directions:
Place all of the ingredients for the marinade and the chicken in a nonreactive container or bag. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 5. Remove from marinade, grill or saute until cooked through. Slice into long, 1/4 inch wide strips.

for the dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Set aside.

To assemble:
On a large platter arrange the various salad components in rows and allow people to assemble their own salads. Serve dressing in individual serving bowls.

Note: All of the ingredients can be made ahead of time, and the salad (minus the avocado, which tends to brown even after a heavy dose of lime juice) can be plated about 10 hours in advance, which makes this a great choice for an event.

My thoughts:

I had the idea for this salad last Fall and have been wanting to make it ever since. I only eat tomatoes while they are in season, so it has taken me this long to bring it into fruition. It was worth the wait. This salad is sort of an homage to the Cobb salad. The Cobb is a classic American chopped style salad that was thrown together by Bob Cobb*, the owner of of the Brown Derby, in 1937. While the original is fabulous, I've arrived at this more modern, spicier version for a change of pace and I love it even more. All of my favorite things in one bowl.

The flavors go together wonderfully, even my hard boiled-eggs-in-salad adverse husband really enjoyed the egg slices in it (the yolks just seem to melt) and I love any excuse to use my egg guillotine. And how can anything that has both bacon and blue cheese in it be bad?

*Let us pause for a second and reflect on for what possible reason he might have chosen not to go by "Robert".